Our Story

Rum was once the drink that built the American colonies. Two hundred fifty years ago, American distilleries were producing 5 million gallons of it annually, and in the port towns of early America, no drink was more cherished — it filled the tavern mugs of Boston merchants and fueled the booming economy of New England distilleries.

In 1733, parliament passed the Molasses Act, imposing heavy taxes on the key ingredients to rum. The colonists responded not with submission, but with defiance — smuggling became widespread, and some of America’s most famous patriots, like John Hancock, filled their ships with contraband molasses from French and Dutch islands.

However, the Sugar Act of 1764 tightened enforcement, and the American colonists began to organize. British goods were boycotted, tea was spilled into the harbor, and Revere set off on his midnight ride. The next day, the shot heard around the world took place in Concord and the war began.

Victory came at a cost. When the war ended, American ships lost access to the Caribbean sugar islands, severing the colonies' molasses supply. Distilleries were left with a choice: close their doors or pivot to grain. Whiskey rose in rum's place, and the drink that helped fuel the Revolution faded from the country it helped create. Revere American Rum was founded to bring it back — bottling proudly and unapologetically American rum, made without shortcuts.

Just as Revere signaled the start of the American Revolution, we intend to do the same — but this time declaring independence from Caribbean distillers.